In an attempt to cast its net far and wide, NASCAR has been chasing new audiences while keeping long-time followers from drifting away. The sport has experimented with venue changes with events such as the Chicago Street Race, last year’s Mexico race, the return to North Wilkesboro, and now San Diego this season.
At the same time, NASCAR has opened its doors to talent from across borders. While drivers from outside the country have featured in the past, the current crop reflects a mix of backgrounds, each bringing a different path into the sport.
Here is a look at the current international drivers across all three national series:
Shane van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen, 36, continues to make his path in the NASCAR Cup Series, carrying his run from another arena into stock car racing. The driver from New Zealand built his name in Supercars in Australia, where he lifted titles in 2016, 2021, and 2022.
He first turned heads in NASCAR when Justin Marks handed him a shot at the Chicago Street Race, where he drove to victory in his Cup Series debut.
He then ran a part-time schedule in the Cup Series in 2024, using the season to find his feet on oval tracks while sharpening his craft in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. With three wins to his name, he closed the year in 12th place in the standings.
The following season saw him step into a full-time role in the Cup Series, where he bagged five wins on road courses and once again finished 12th in the standings. This year, he has posted two top-10 finishes along with a top-five result and sits 14th in the standings.
Daniel Suarez
Daniel Suarez began his racing career in karting in Mexico before climbing the ranks in the NASCAR Mexico Series, where he spent 7 years and reached as high as 2nd in the standings. In 2014, he entered the ARCA Menards Series before working his way up the ladder into the Truck Series.
His big break came in 2015 when Joe Gibbs Racing handed him a seat in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, laying the ground for his move to the top tier.
Since 2017, Suarez has been a regular on the NASCAR Cup Series grid, turning laps for Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and now Spire Motorsports, where he drives the No. 77 Chevrolet.
Across eight seasons in the Cup Series, Suarez has taken two wins. After ending last season in P27, he has opened this year with a top-five finish at Atlanta and a top-10 run at Darlington. Following last weekend’s Martinsville race, the driver now sits 16th in the standings.
Alex Labbe
Alex Labbe continues to ply his trade in the second tier of NASCAR, lining up for SS-Green Light Racing in the No. 0 Chevrolet. The driver from Canada began his run in the domestic series, where he logged 71 starts across 12 years and parked it in Victory Lane six times.
He then set his sights south of the border, entering the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2016 with King Autosport before landing a full-time seat with DGM Racing in 2018.
Last season, Labbe ran a part-time schedule, making seven starts and bringing the car home inside the top 15 on three occasions. This year, he has made one start so far, taking the green at Darlington, where his run came undone in a multi-car wreck that left him in 38th.
Baltazar Leguizamon
Baltazar Leguizamon is currently building his path in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, running a part-time schedule with Barrett-Cope Racing in the No. 30 Chevrolet. The driver from Argentina first cut his teeth in karting before stepping into single-seater ranks across South America.
Between 2015 and 2018, he made rounds in a range of series, including Formula 4 Sudamericana, Formula 4 United States Championship, NACAM Formula 4 Championship, Atlantic Championship, and F3 Americas Championship. Over that stretch, he notched wins and podiums, headlined by a title run in the 2018 Atlantic Championship with K-Hill Motorsports.
He made his first start in the second tier of NASCAR last year at Circuit of the Americas, where he finished 37th. This year, he returned to the Texas track and recorded the same result, again crossing the line in 37th.
Andres Perez de Lara
Andres Perez de Lara, 21, has worked his way up the ranks and now lines up in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But the driver originally comes from Mexico, and he has a title to his name, having bagged the ARCA Menards Series crown in 2024.
Perez first stepped into NASCAR in 2022 with David Gilliland Racing in ARCA, before climbing the ladder into the Truck Series. He now competes full-time for Niece Motorsports, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet truck.
Now in his second full-time campaign in the series, Perez closed last season in 16th. This year, across four starts, he has finished one race in the top 10 and two in the top 15, placing him 9th in the standings as he continues to gain ground.
Stewart Friesen
Stewart Friesen is a Canadian-American driver currently running in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 52 Toyota for Halmar Friesen Racing. Born into a racing family that owned Ransomville Speedway, Friesen cut his teeth in go-karts before moving into Super DIRTcar competition.
Despite his Canadian roots, his record in the NASCAR Canada Series stands at just three starts, all in 2022, with one top-10 finish to show for it. His break in the United States came in 2016, when he entered the Truck Series with Halmar Racing, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet. He remains with the same outfit, now at the wheel of the No. 52.
Through four starts this season, Friesen has logged one top-10 finish along with a top-20 result. He sits 13th in the standings, keeping himself within striking range to make it to the playoffs.
Cole Butcher
Cole Butcher, a Canadian driver, has joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series full-time, taking the wheel of the No. 13 Ford for ThorSport Racing. The driver built his base in the CARS Tour Late Model competition before making the jump to NASCAR’s truck division.
Last season, Butcher made his series debut in a part-time role, driving the No. 62 truck and logging two starts with the Halmar Friesen Racing team. That stint opened the door for a full-time seat this year with ThorSport Racing.
Through the opening four races of the season, Butcher has brought the truck home inside the top 15 on two occasions. He now sits P20 in the standings, settling into the grind.
James Hinchcliffe
James Hinchcliffe has added a NASCAR racing stint to his resume, running a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Canadian driver has made one start so far, taking the green at St. Petersburg with Spire Motorsports in the No. 77 Chevrolet truck and bringing it home inside the top 10.
Hinchcliffe, however, is primarily known for driving in the IndyCar Series, where he competed from 2011 through 2021. Since stepping away from full-time racing in that series, he has moved behind the mic, serving as a commentator for IndyCar broadcasts on FOX Sports, while also appearing on Formula One coverage through F1TV.
Dario Franchitti
Dario Franchitti, a former (British) IndyCar Series driver from Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland, built his legacy with four championships, claimed in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
He dipped his toes into NASCAR with a Truck Series start at Martinsville in 2007 before stepping into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2008, making 10 starts for Chip Ganassi Racing. In the same season, he also logged 18 starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Chip Ganassi Racing, where he bagged two top-10 finishes.
This year, Franchitti returned for another outing in the Truck Series, taking the wheel of the No. 1 Toyota for Tricon Garage at St. Petersburg, and finished 27th.
Jason White
Jason White, Canadian racing driver, continues to make his rounds in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on a part-time schedule, driving the No. 2 Ford for Reaume Brothers Racing.
In the early stretch of his career, White had raced in super modified, mini-sprint, and street stock cars across the West Coasts of the United States and Canada. He then spent three seasons in the CASCAR West Series from 2004 to 2006, with his best finish coming in 2005, when he placed sixth in the standings.
White started driving in the Truck Series in 2018 and has kept a foot in the door since, making at least two starts each season. This year, he has made one start so far, taking the green at Daytona and finishing 33rd. In the same race last season, he brought his No. 2 truck home inside the top 10.
Derek White
Derek White, another Canadian racer, took a long road to stock car racing, spending three decades in drag racing in Canada before switching lanes in 2009. He now runs a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 69 Ford for MBM Motorsports, while also competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series in the No. 66 Ford for the same outfit.
White has logged one start in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 22 starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and 10 starts so far in NASCAR’s third tier.
His record in the NASCAR Canada Series stands at 36 starts. Last season, he made three starts in the NASCAR Truck Series and brought one of those runs home inside the top 15. This year, he has made one start so far, taking the green at St. Petersburg to finish 35th.
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